On the Culture of Memorialisation Page 3

Dick was promoted to Lieutenant and at Obdurman received his baptism of fire. He was also awarded his first two campaign medals: The Queen’s Sudan Medal 1996-1998 and the Khedive’s Sudan Medal 1886-1898. It was in Egypt that he learned Arabic. From the Sudan Dick transferred to the 1st Battalion of his regiment, serving in Malta, Crete, Gibraltar again Malta and again Egypt. Here he was able to develop his abilities as a linguist applying himself to Arabic, Turkish and Greek. In 1900 Dick was promoted to the rank of Captain and took over command of the 100 soldiers comprising C Company.

        Dick Willis in Captain's uniform

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In 1907 we find him back in India located at an elevation of 5,500-6,500 feet, between Simla and Dehra Dun at what Dick described as, ‘our beautiful summer station based at Chakrata in Uttaranchal ’. Chakrata during the British raj was a garrison town maintained by the British Indian Army.  Here he was engaged in the leisurely, rhythm of routine regimental duties, largely consisting of training exercises and peacekeeping activities.  Regimental life at this time was like living in a large family, everybody knew and trusted each other and this was a significant factor in the time to come. There was also plenty of time for Dick to polish his Urdu language skills, revolver shooting, polo, hockey and also develop his musical interests for he was a talented musician.

During this year he married Maude Elizabeth Temple.

In the wedding photograph, below, Dick is in uniform and his brother Rory is on the far left of the picture. Maude Willis is seated in the centre of the picture.

In 1908 Dick was in the dusty town of Multan in the Punjab District close to the North West Frontier, British India now Pakistan.

Maude meanwhile gave birth to a son Richard Alaric Temple Willis in Bombay, now Mumbai, India.

In 1911 Dick received the Delhi Durbar Medal awarded to those soldiers who took part in the pomp and ceremony of the Delhi Durbar held on 12th December 1911.  The Durbar was an assembly of about 80,000 select people including the Viceroy, the Marharajahs and Rajahs from the Princely States of British India, gathered to celebrate Empire in the presence of the newly crowned King George V on his confirmation as Emperor of India. It was a show of British Empire and displayed all the riches of the Moghul Empire. It aspired to emulate despite, or perhaps because, in 1910 the freedom movement in India, the Indian Nationalist Movement known as Swadeshi, was gathering momentum.



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